Are You Sabotaging Your Career Without Knowing It?
If you are doing great work and yet your career seems to have stalled, it’s time for you to do some soul searching. Are you sabotaging your career?
Subtle signs you are sabotaging your career without meaning to.
Even if your job performance is great, it’s still possible that you’re doing things that are derailing your career. Three of the most common ways you may be undermining your success are not being a team player, not standing out from the crowd, and lacking a career plan.
Are you a team player?
You probably know that being a team player is key to career success. But being a team player means more than just ensuring the success of your team.
Relying on and working with your team is critical to being viewed as a team player. When you consistently accomplish all your work on your own, it’s easy for your team (and your boss) to forget how much they rely on you for their success.
Do you stand out from the crowd?
A crucial part of career success is marketing yourself – letting others know that you’re around and doing great work.
However, if you believe your work should speak for itself, you’re overly focused on just getting your work done, or always doing the work others don’t want to do (i.e., the drudgery), then you’re not standing out from the crowd. You’re making yourself valuable exactly where you are, and keeping others from realizing you’re capable of more.
Do you have a career plan?
Remember Alice asking The Cheshire Cat for directions? Since she didn’t know where she wanted to go, he told her it didn’t much matter which way she went.
The same is true of your career. If you don’t know where you want to go, no one can help you get there.
How To Stop Subtly Sabotaging Your Career.
Awareness is the first step to change. Now that you know how you are sabotaging your career, you can begin doing something about it.
Start focusing on the big picture for yourself, your team, and the company. Once you become known for having your eye on the big picture others will naturally flock to you for advice and support which over time will lead to greater success.
Exude confidence. When your work is stellar, you’re a team player and you exude confidence. Others will notice, and you’ll suddenly be viewed as a true leader instead of as simply a dependable employee.
Find a mentor who can guide you toward achieving your career aspirations and around the inevitable company politics.
Moving your career out of a stall is possible. You just need to start with some soul searching to identify the root causes and then put together the necessary plans to get your career back on track.
Are you sabotaging your career? If you are and you’re ready to work with a mentor who can help you cease sabotaging your career and achieve the success you’re yearning for, reach out to me. I’m here to support you in achieving your dreams and goals.